We Hear You! Letters from Our June 2012 Issue

I've been debating for some time now whether to renew my subscription when it runs out in the fall. I'm 65 and most of the articles are geared toward women in their 40's and 50's. The make-up and fashions featured are largely irrelevant to my life, now that I've retired to rural Vermont. I do enjoy reading about strong women, especially those who have reinvented themselves successfully. Then your June issue arrived and made my mind up for me. A $1,345 plastic bag? Are you serious? I hope any of your other readers who thought for even a second of spending that much money on that tote will stop and send the amount instead to the Irene Recovery Fund (www.vtirenefund.org ). It would go to so much better use for those Vermonters still struggling to recover from last August's flooding.
--Jane Sheldon

Turkey burgers with umami paste recipe

The turkey burgers with umami paste were so moist and flavorful. I've made them twice and shared the recipe with several coworkers. I will make them on a routine basis. Thank you.
--Sherry Johnson

While I appreciate the article on Title IX as well as the athletic opportunities it has afforded girls, I wonder why no one is questioning the role of women in professional sports? That’s great that these young girls get to play sports during their school years, but then what? Young boys can aspire to be just like Derek Jeter or Dwayne Wade. But young girls don’t have the same pro athlete stars to look up to. I know we have the WNBA, but those women don’t get the same coverage as their male counterparts (and probably not the same inflated paychecks, I’m assuming). What about women’s baseball? Women’s soccer? Heck, women’s football? If I had the means and the business know-how, you can bet I’d be bringing back the All-American Girls (WOMEN) Professional Baseball League.
--Laurie LeaheyGood for you—always open to suggestions!

April issue: Makeup must-haves . . . where are we? Nothing after 60.

May issue: The best ever! Yes, Zumba is great at 80!

June issue: Skin doc confidential = super rating!

Where are we who are 65 to 85? After 60, I got cancer and a black belt; I biked across the U.S., skied to the North Pole and ran Boston . . .

We are active and out there with money (because of savvy decisions) and time. Need a pull-out section (we no longer save stuff or buy green bananas) devoted to 65 and successfully climbing called “More with Amour”! Don’t forget us!!!!

Love and hugs,Sue Schmidt

I am a big fan of your magazine. It is the first magazine that has the courage to address the women over 20-30 years old.

I read your editorial this month, and I had to put my opinion in. I am all for the older woman looking good, and if it takes a laser or plastic surgery procedure to do so, then I am there. But you seem to stop at the 40- to 50-year-old women. What about the rest of us? The baby boomers who are 65 and our mothers who are 90+. I am 65, and I still want to look the best I can.

I exercise, keep my weight down, try to shop for fashions that look good on me without calling out to the skin that has betrayed me and the age spots that defy me. Whenever I see the word “diminishes” fine lines and wrinkles, I know that it will do me absolutely no good. I am over the diminishing stage. However, I still try everything. And how about my 91-year-old mother, who looks fantastic with her glowing silver hair and beautiful God-given blue eyes. We want articles about us. You think your magazine is special because you put a 40-year-old model on the cover. When I was 40 years old, I could compete with any woman in the good-looks department. No problem. Now, let’s consider the 65-year-old woman and the 91-year-old woman. We exist. We buy cosmetics and fashion. We probably have more money to spend than the 40-year-old girls. I want to see your picture as editor-in-chief when you are 65. Let’s get a bit more real with MORE. You really could put yourself on the map if you went for the baby boomers who are full of life and want a magazine that supports our needs.

Keep up the good work and dig deeper into the aging department, and let’s live until we die.--Patty Harris, Marina Del Rey, California

I have subscribed to MORE magazine for many years. Recently I read about the survey/contest. I guess you are asking for readers’ opinions. I think the past three or four issues were the worst I have ever seen. The issues do not have many pages, and there were so many pages wasted on photos of just stuff. The April issue had pages 80–87 with photos of the most uninteresting jewelry. That was also in another issue. The clothes that are featured are now just pages of photographs of clothes, e.g., pages 36, 38. The same is featured in other issues. The magazine has lost substance. It is not worth subscribing to anymore. The stories are also not interesting. I subscribe to Allure, and even though they feature mostly stuff, the stories are interesting. They even have short stories written by famous writers.

One good thing I have noticed: MORE features more African Americans on the cover, finally! Now it’s time to feature Latinas on the cover.

I hope the magazine improves and becomes worth keeping my subscription. I did like the before-and-after makeovers of regular women. I think it’s helpful to see what fashion designs are good and bad for different body types.--Maria Vega

Your Notebook article “Return of the Gender Card” is just the kind of irresponsible reporting that makes my blood boil at times. To find it in MORE magazine, which I subscribe to for fashion advice for women of my age, is insulting!

The whole basis of the trumped-up assertion that women’s rights are being denied is preposterous. No one is being denied birth control or access to abortion. It’s just that the taxpayers are tired of paying for it for others. Those who are morally opposed to these “freedoms” should not be obligated to fund those who CHOOSE to use these services.

We Americans are becoming so used to having everything paid for out of the common fund, we cry foul when it’s not “free.” Shame on Andrea Mitchell and those like her who continue to trump up these ridiculously fabricated untruths for political attention and votes for their candidate in the November election.

For true “inequality,” look to other countries, not the U.S. There’s no obstruction to health care or birth control in the U.S., period!--Suzette Lenzen

Tears fell from my eyes when I read the “letter from the editor” in the April 2012 issue of MORE. I am only 36 now, and my children are teens. Getting busy with the world they are building for themselves.

Slowing down is not an option; it’s a natural path we all face in our lives. When we, as moms, stuff in one day all those activities that make us feel useful, we feel needed. When things change, it’s in us to find ourselves again—the garden is an option, volunteering in local organizations, reading all those books we never had time before, and so on.

Life is a box of chocolates. Some sweet, some bitter, still worthwhile living and loving. Awareness is a great key.

Amazing passage. Thank you.

--Angelica Hernandez

MORE magazine is boring. There, I said it, and I don’t mean any personal offense. It’s just that you can page through the magazine in a half hour and there is really nothing worth stopping to read. The articles are all the same; they are someone’s story about something. This gets old after a while, especially when you have multiple stories of the same type in one issue.

Then the “fashion” pages, multiple full-page outlines of plastic jewelry? Come on, this may fly in Seventeen magazine, but this is supposed to be for the working-class women, most of whom wouldn’t be caught dead wearing plastic. A cubic zirconium maybe, but plastic?? This seems like a complete waste of space and makes you wonder if you needed something to just fill up a few pages. There are too many references and articles about celebrities and politicians. If I want to read about this, then I’ll buy the National Enquirer. You’ve got at least seven pages with junk from pharmaceutical ads. Where are all the fitness articles? There is next to nothing about eating healthy, exercise, how to make your body look thinner by clothes, makeup and shoes. There is nothing about surviving in the workforce, nothing about job seeking or career advice. There are far more advertisements (full page) than articles. As a business owner, I understand you need the advertisements, but full-page ads should be at least a 1:3 ratio to reading materials. How about some articles about couponing, saving money, cutting costs?? The captions on the front page are not indicative of what is inside the magazine; it’s misleading to your readers.

No offense, but you asked for honest opinions, good or bad.--Donna Kraige

I applaud your effort to bring attention to the epidemic of prescription drug addiction in this country in your article “Lethal Weapon.” As a physician, I too have watched in horror as drugs that were once used only in extreme situations are now handed out as routine home medications. I think, however, that your article missed a large piece of the picture. When insurance companies began denying hospital stays after major surgery (think knee replacement, back surgery, mastectomy) and sent patients home to cope with severe pain after only 24 hours of care, what exactly were their physicians supposed to do? Tell them to take Motrin? For many patients, post-op pain is worse the second or third day after surgery. Physicians receive little training on outpatient pain management, especially management of post-op pain in the outpatient setting. The last thing a compassionate physician wants is for his or her patient to go home and become incapacitated because of pain, thereby setting themselves up for further complications. Can we for once take a look at who is really driving the health care, or lack thereof, in this country? If you think for one second your physician chooses your plan of care, think again. In the long run, your care, and your prescriptions, are managed by your health care plan.
--Elizabeth Patrenos, MD

Andrea Mitchell indicates that women voters are concerned about threats to their rights. Concerning contraception, no one is denying the right of women to use contraceptives; however, by forcing Church-related employers who do not believe in contraception to provide contraceptives, the health care bill would be denying the Church its right to practice its beliefs. I am grateful for both the opportunity to use contraceptives and to worship without goverment control.
--Robyn Hospodka

I was thrilled at the concept of the magazine when it first came out. I read it and subscribed, but over time I came to realize that you cover women over 40 but you really stop providing any articles of interest or substance for women over 65. My guess is that you ladies involved in the production of the magazine have to join the “over 65” age group to better appreciate this time frame. Maybe then you will be inspired and equipped to comment on and to celebrate this different stage. Also, by then there will be so many of you, as baby boomers, that you will be compelled to address the “over 65” age group. Maybe you will even have a “More+” monthly edition just for that group . . . who knows? It could be fun. Anyways, enjoy the journey!
--Diane Milne

Hear, hear! The last few comments are spot-on! Instead of empowering women and challenging them to rely on things other than sex and sexiness, More goes in the other direction. The Madeleine Stowe photos play into the hands of those who think women should look, smell, act and be a certain way. The reader who asserted that the magazine insists on ignoring Republican readers gets my applause, too. Too much more and I’ll find another magazine.
--Liz

I am almost 49 years old, and this is the first time ever I am writing to a magazine. I just finished taking the online survey in the hopes I would have an opportunity somewhere in the survey to weigh in on something I noticed—I assumed there would be some sort of general “comments box.” Unfortunately, the box that asked for comments about improving the magazine was my opportunity, but since the completion bar showed I was only at about 75% at that point, I assumed there would be a more generic box later on. Clearly I was wrong, but I still feel the need to make my comment—hence this e-mail. I have always found More to be a pretty well-balanced perspective on coming into our own in the world. But in the June issue, that balance didn’t just shift—it went completely off-kilter.

Page 29.

If my friend spent $1,345.00 on a clear plastic bag, I would:

1. Smack her in the forehead a la “I could have had a V-8” style.
2. March her back to the store to return it.
3. Take her to lunch and see what I needed to do to help restore either her self-esteem or her overall sanity.
4. Write a letter to the editor of the magazine that recommended this purchase to find out what wine she was drinking so that I could have a glass as well the next time I needed to take complete leave of my senses.

One of these things is not like the others. And it diminishes everything else on the list. Leave that to Style or Cosmo. MORE is typically above that.
--Allison Seielstad

1. Love the magazine . . . turned a gal pal onto it. She gave me a Xmas subscription last year. Alas, I only received three issues and nothing was ever done, and I called three times to complain. Now I just buy it from newsstand. Am a fan on Facebook, too.

2. Would love to see more features on women who are in their sixties. In attached photo, I'm in the middle, celebrating my 65th on May 12!!! Everyone says I don't look my age . . . and I am overcoming arthritis, severe osteoporosis, an incurable autoimmune disease and a stroke! Positive thinking and spirituality help!

3. One of my friends is Angela Paul . . . one of your over-50 model winners from years back. Is there any way that I can get a back issue so that I could see her feature? I'll pay!

4. Yours is the best publication for women!!
--Mei Ling Moore

I was SO excited to see the gorgeous swimsuits in your June issue. I was NOT so excited to see that, aside from the two-piece swimsuits, not a single suit appeared to come in cup sizes. According to the New York Times, WWD, NY Daily News and prominent bra retailers like Tomima of HerRoom, 36DD is the new average cup size. It was nice to see some suits in larger sizes, but finding a one-piece bathing suit to fit (let alone support) a large top has been a lifelong challenge for a lot of us. Buying a larger suit just doesn't cut it!
--Eileen Haas-Linde, Cape Coral, FL

I subscribe to MORE and enjoy the articles, but I have one complaint. I find the print to be very small and difficult to read. I don’t know the age of your average reader, but I am in my sixties and cannot read some of your articles (even with my reading glasses). I know that after the age of 40 most women are using glasses for close reading, and I’m guessing that I’m not the only one having this problem. Maybe I’m the only one to bring it to your attention. So thanks for listening.

Keep up the good work . . . the articles are useful and relevant (love the humor also).
--Sue Bratton, Canton, Ohio

I very much enjoyed your latest article regarding the landmark legislation Title IX. My daughter benefited greatly from this legislation not only in her athletic career as a Division I athlete but also in the educational opportunities that were open to her because of its passage. I made sure that she was aware of how Title IX gave her a broader world of opportunities. I wanted her to know much different her life would be if she lived the world of narrow opportunities that was mine as a girl before this revolutionary legislation.

One of Title IX's lesser-known elements is the equal access to educational programs for either sex. Enrollment in shop classes, mechanical drawing, ROTC and home economics is no longer segregated by gender. Equal access is also extended to the pregnant teen. Gone are the days when a pregnant teen was forced to drop out of school. Title IX requires access to educational programs for even those students who now have the added responsibility of a child. These young women now have the chance to earn their high school diplomas and be on a more equal footing in the job market and as an educated parent.

Today's young women often do not know the struggles that went before them to achieve equal access and therefore do not know that powerful forces are eager to eliminate the oversight that has kept Title IX alive. Our previous president attempted to eliminate or eviscerate Title IX. We are only beginning to see the fruits of Title IX and must continue to be vigilant or risk losing one of our most empowering pieces of legislation for gender equity.
--Mary Jander Roberts

The article “Lethal Weapon” highlights a very real problem that is not getting enough attention. About three years ago, my brother-in-law had rotator cuff surgery. He became addicted to oxycodone, receiving multiple 30-day prescriptions from three different doctors. He struggled with the addiction and went through detox. We thought he was clean, but he relapsed this year and went through another detox program around Easter. He died suddenly eight days ago from a massive heart attack. He was 48. Among some family members, it is thought that the damage to his heart was caused by the prescription drugs and drugs used for detox, which I believe was methadone. He leaves behind a wife and two children, along with his own parents. Our lives are forever changed due to the decisions that his doctors made.
--Laura Cosgriff, Cleveland

LOVE the "Meet the MORE staff" page! What a great gratitude and desire/goals listing, lovely eclectic mix of folks! Also, really enjoy content, marketing and mantra for women of "style and substance" as the theme so resonates to the empowered woman. I've also enjoyed participating in this year's MORE Beauty Search 2012 contest; it's been such fun! All the best to every participant and much gratitude to the staff for the time and effort in choosing winners. Looking forward to outcome, announcement and continued best of MORE!
--Heather Watkins

I was very disappointed in your article “Return of the Gender Card” and feel that it betrays the true issue. The issue is not a woman’s right to birth control but who is paying for it. This was never mentioned in the article by Christina Bellantoni and indicates to me that she and your readers have been seriously misled. If I agree that a woman has the right to decide for herself if she will take birth control or have an abortion, that’s one thing, but if as a woman I don’t believe in one or both, why should I be forced to pay for it for someone else? Isn’t it my right not to?
--Linda Pelliccioni

The numerous generations of our family will now cancel our subscriptions to More because of Andrea Mitchell’s completely biased and certified–by–President Obama article. We are so sick of the biased media, and unfortunately you people have joined the club. There are two sides to every story, and fair and balanced media reports that.
--Anonymous

I LOVE your magazine. It is unique and refreshing, and has information and articles unlike any other. Very nice. Thank you.
--Susan Sayles

When I received your June issue today, I had to immediately read your article about Madeleine Stowe because I am a HUGE fan of Revenge! It's nice to know more about her now. (I couldn’t imagine Victoria Grayson doing some of the things Madeleine has done!) I hope we see a lot more of her in the future.
--Rita Stalvig

Too bad Madeleine Stowe’s "romantic sensibility" doesn’t extend to animals. I liked her before I read this article because I didn't know much about her. Ick!
--Joan Philip